Sunday, November 9, 2014

Not the Couch! Nail Caps

Cats are born with the natural urge to scratch! Felines scratch items to mark their territory, to remove the dead sheath from their claws, to play, to show dominance, while stretching, and for self-defense. When cats scratch items, they leave their scent behind to notify other felines that this territory belongs to them.

Until recently many owners declawed their cats. Declawing a feline is a serious surgery. Your beloved Kitty’s claw is not a toenail. It is actually closely adhered to the bone. In order to remove the claw, the last bone of the cat’s toe has to be amputated. Declawing is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery period.

To humanely discourage Kitty from scratching your furniture, many behaviorists recommend items such as sticky tape, scents that repel cats, and noise makers. Cats may also be trained to ignore the furniture if they are provided with scratching posts or toys.

Kitty’s Spa proposes an easier solution for indoor cats: nail caps. Nail caps are vinyl coverings that come in a variety of brand names and colors, and they do not interfere with the normal extension and retraction of Kitty’s claws. They are glued into place with a safe, nontoxic adhesive. They will typically stay adhered to the nail for about four to six weeks, usually falling off with the natural growth of the nail. Nail caps are well tolerated by most cats. Some cats do need an initial training period to learn not to chew the nail caps off. If nail caps do not fall off on their own, they should be removed in six to eight weeks.